Dishonest headteacher - this is wholly wrong but now at a loss what I can do about it.

[fabsoopergroovy]

Have posted a few times about this before and have found it a great stress release so apologies in advance if I'm sounding like a broken record.

An update has made me .

Heard that before the summer HT made a public statement to parents in an after school meeting held at that school about my complaint against her. It was reported to me that she had told parents that my complaint was only partially upheld, obviously giving the parents the impression that things were not as bad as parents may have heard. She refused to go into any detail.

Until then, nobody in authority would publically either confirm or deny whether she had been cleared or vindicated.

I could not believe what I had heard as this was 100% not true. As she made the statement publically I requested of her that statement under Freedom of Information. Have now received that information and sure enough:

"Elements of the complaint were upheld but other aspects were not upheld."

Grrrrrrrrr - this is a LIE! My complaint has been upheld IN FULL and this has again subsequently been confirmed in writing by the LEA. They are fully aware of this situation and say they are powerless to act!

Jeepers.

Have had enough of this now. It is morally wrong that this HT should deliberately mislead parents who place their trust in her.

I have done about as much as I can possibly do now and feel like walking away but if I do that I will never be comfortable in the knowledge that she's done it once, she could have done it before and what's to stop her doing it again in the future.

We are talking about honesty, integrity and trustworthyness - setting the standards for the children at her school.



Thanks for listening.

[IndigoBell]

Fab - on a similar note. My ex HT (we moved school) sent home stats about their KS1 results with their KS1 results - but not to all parents (WTF?)

Anyway the stats say that no children got a level 1 in any subject. But my daughter did get a level 1 in 3 subjects and so did her friend in 2 subjects.

How on earth can they do this? It is absolutely extraordinary.

I am leaving it. Besides conversationally bringing it up with my friends. If they want to keep their children at such a bad school that is their choice.

KS1 results aren't published anywhere.

[fabsoopergroovy]

Indigo - isn't it THE most frustrating thing? Can't think of any other area of work where this would be allowed to happen.

Found a stat when googling for what to do, where to go etc. that headteachers are the second most trusted profession by the public - after judges!

It's just rubbish really.

[fabsoopergroovy]

great to have an ally though

[admission]

If you make a formal complaint to the Chair of Governors about this statement, they have to investigate and come up with a reply to you.
I would assume that this will be a reply that does not solve anything but it then gives you the right to make a formal complaint to the LA, to the Secretary of State for Education and to Ofsted about the school and the head.
It would be wrong of me to say that anything will right this wrong but somebody somewhere has to start thinking is this a headteacher that can be trusted. It depends how long and how much you want to fight about this.

[ElsieMc]

This is just awful and you are in a situation you just cannot win.

I discovered that the Headteacher at the childrens' school had discussed both my DS's with paternal grandparents, from whom I am estranged, in a meeting at the school that I was not informed about. I then discovered there had been three meetings. The headteacher had absolutely no right to do this and allow them to discuss decisions relating to the children because (a) they do not have PR and (b) my youngest DS is not even related to them!.

I felt so powerless at the time but one of the governors arranged for a manager from the LEA to be present at a meeting my DH insisted upon. She denied the meetings took place,but when put under pressure it was clear they had in fact taken place - she insisted they were "chance" meetings - which took place in her office!

No disciplinary action was taken against her, but she offered her resignation shortly afterwards. I dont think it was solely our issue, as there were a number of ongoing concerns but I think it may have tipped the balance.

I can't offer you any advice other than to say you are not alone and I know how awful it is.

[fabsoopergroovy]

Indigo - did you ever consider reviewing the school on Schoolsnet?

It something that has been going round and round in my head for a while now. I would not go into any detail but just suggest prospective parents google school and HT (there was quite alot of local press coverage/speculation about why she was suspended) and then proceed with caution.

Just hesitant as ultimately want the school to do well - just that it's going nowhere IMO (and a good number of others) whilst she is still in post.

[IndigoBell]

Fab - I'm trying to put it all behind me and move on.

It's not easy to do so, when so much damage has been done to 2 of my kids. But on the plus side I can now see them flourishing and hope that in a year or so things really will be behind us.

Dragging it all up and continually going over it won't help my kids and it won't help me. It may or may not help other kids in the school - but I can't be the one to do it.

I'm fairly sure I submitted a negative review on a diff school site - and it never got published.

There KS2 results were appalling and I'm hoping this triggers an OFSTED. I wonder what they'll see?

[fabsoopergroovy]

admission - this is such a complicated situation. All the governors are fully aware of what has gone on and indeed a few were present when she made the statement.

The three disciplinary panel governors who dismissed her for gross misconduct in the first instance are indeed still in situ. I can only imagine what it must be like for them. Of the three appeal panel governors (who agreed for her to return, I don't know why, but whose names were released to us by LEA under FoI request?!?!) one has resigned. Anybody who has had anything at all to do with the complaint including LEA and GB have been gagged bound by Data Protection legislation hence the lack of commentry.

I am not bound by anything and therefore if parents have asked I have told them.

Obviously, everybody wants the school to move on but there is general agreement that having a dishonest HT at the realm is not the way forward.

It's a nightmare really.

[fabsoopergroovy]

ElsieMc - that's appalling and should never have happened but you know what, the HT at your school obviously had a conscience and appeared by her resignation, to acknowledge albeit privately, that she had done something wrong. Not the case here I'm afraid.

Indigo - I wait with baited breath for December and the publication of KS2 SATS. Rumours are, from last years YR6 parents, results are tragically poor. CVA currently 98, cannot imagine where it will end up and it's not fair on the children.

[AMumma16]

This is a very old thread but I’m hoping that someone still might be able to offer some advice as it has resonated with me.
I too have encountered this kind of situation. A Headteacher being dishonest but also backed up by governors as they were all looking out for each other. Although it was a little while ago and we have moved our children out of the school, I’m still so unhappy that they lost my child’s safeguarding notes outside of the school and lied to us about it for ages.
Going through the complaints procedure - they made up lots of things to distract from many mistakes made by them using ‘witneses’ whom they wouldn’t name.

I can’t get past how people in charge of children are allowed to get away with this? I find it deeply troubling.
We still don’t know where the records are - they could have been left anywhere.
Is it too late to report this to independent commissioners office?

[catkind]

Probably best to start a new thread AMumma, or people will not notice the date and respond to the original poster.
I doubt it's too late to report your concerns though. You've quite reasonably tried to chase it up through more direct channels first.

[admission]

I would say you have two potential courses of action. The first, as the document concerned was regarding safeguarding information about your child, is to go to what is called the LADO. This is the Local Authority Designated Officer and they have a role in ensuring that all safeguarding issues are correctly investigated and dealt with. Clearly losing safeguarding files is a significant breach.
The second is that the data lost was personal information so you could report the school to the Information Commissioners Office as it is lost personal data.
In either case I would have some concerns that you say in your post this was some time ago and would therefore have concerns that neither organisation would feel it is now appropriate to consider the complaint.

[AMumma16]

Admission - thank you. I will follow this up. I was very surprised that the Panel Meeting didn’t suggest this kind of advice.
The loss prticularly concerns me as it’s about a child and the school knew it was lost but didn’t admit it.
Thanks again for your help.

[AMumma16]

Catkind - thank you. I will start a new thread :)